LIAN LI wants Everyone to own a Yacht at CES 2016, Just don’t Put it in the Water

We all learn something new in this business and I just found out that LIAN LI does a special case mod every few years or so. What surprised me was that it was one they sell as well. Needless to say, I was grinning from ear to ear when I walked up to a computer in a boat. Could that be considered ironic? Either way, LIAN LI didn’t just have computer cases shaped like yachts, they had numerous computer cases as well as some other designs that just screamed of top quality.

The yacht was easily one of the funnest things I saw at CES. I really think I need a good mini-ITX system just so I can have “fun” builds. I suppose my Lego Tie Fighter will have to suffice for now though. The design was fun, but what really made it pop was the way LIAN LI designed the RGB lighting effects. With a simple knob turn, you can easily set the color of the chassis to what you want, but the Fort Lauderdale charters yacht was the most impressive thing I saw. The desk that was a computer case was pretty astounding! Some of you might remember LIAN LI doing something like this a while back. This is a redesigned version however, that has some great features. This one is only meant to handle one build, but the airflow is optimized from back to front (or vice-a-versa), has RGB lighting as well, and has a motorized height adjustment with the ability to set up to four presets. Once again, it has a glass top with a smokey tint but the front of the desk cuts out better so your knees have more space than the previous one.

Once we finished touring the less traditional PC cases, I then got to go through multiple standard LIAN LI cases. There are some things that just don’t translate well in pictures and the manufacturing quality of these products are one of them. Each case is made out of very sturdy sheets of aluminum, but the way everything is connected leads to very clean edges and the absence of any creaks or groans. There were several design features that impressed me quite a bit. The panels have a proprietary clip design that allows the user to simply snap on or snap off the side panels. No thumbscrews, or screws of any sort, are necessary. While the sound of the panels clipping on and off can seem daunting at first, once I got to try it for myself, I found it to be excellently engineered and wishing all cases were designed this way. Another nifty feature was having a convenient SATA connector and power port at the back of the hard drive trays. By simply sliding the drive into the bay, the connection is made and the cables can be cleanly routed to the motherboard and PSU rather than sticking out of the drives.

The cases were excellent, but I also liked some of the color variations I saw that also include some matching mouse and keyboard combos. One chassis was a gorgeous shade or red, designed to house a mini-ITX system. LIAN LI also designed a matching wireless keyboard and mouse that fit the case perfectly. For those of us who use PCs as our home entertainment systems, the matching color scheme is great for being a PC, but looking more like part of the home furnishing. The other color they had was one I could best describe as a forest green. The shade was excellent! It was neutral enough so that it didn’t scream Call of Duty, but fans of war games would probably appreciate the shade without having to commit to full on camo. The keyboard and mouse combo impressed me as well. Coming from someone who would like a wireless combo that’s a bit more durable for his living room, the design, feel and look really impressed me. The keyboard uses more of a laptop key design that felt very nice, the multiple colors and aluminum finish gave me plenty of options that would look great while holding up well in the living room, and the MSRP looks to be right at $40. Considering it can be hard to find a cheap combo for $20, I wouldn’t mind paying that at all for a red set that my wife would fall in love with.

As much as I would love to highlight the finer details of rubber mounts and magnetic dust filters, I’ll let the galleries below do the rest of the talking. By the way, I don’t know if LIAN LI chose that booth spot on purpose, but I seriously loved the lighting. It made taking pictures so easy! Very few manufacturers achieve a level of quality that LIAN LI does, so if you’re looking for an elegant case that makes your build look super classy rather than ridiculously flashy, you should certainly check them out. We’re almost done with our updates on CES 2016. Keep your eyes open for one more article, since we’ll be lumping up the rest of our experiences into one piece that will pretty well sum up the rest of what Pure Overclock personally experienced.

About the Author

Josh Jackson

Needless to say I love computer hardware. With my reviews, I never forget what it's like trying to find parts on a tight budget and how excited I am about any new component I get my hands on. If there was a good effort in the design, then I'll find a reason why each component is great for someone!